1
as in smug
having too high an opinion of oneself
a man so vain that he spent hours admiring himself in the mirror
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in futile
producing no results
all their efforts to escape proved vain
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in worthless
having no usefulness
having tired of the vain pleasures of life in the fast lane, he returned to the small town he had grown up in
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of vain
Bateman shaped Clark from the page up, recasting a vain TV personality as a wide-eyed innocent who reads Floyd as a big brother.
—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
12 June 2026
Third, there are things that can be done today to ensure that the tank man’s bravery is not in vain.
—
Olivia Enos,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2026
Three Knights pitchers tried in vain as the Bruins diced up the diamond even though UCF walked UCLA and NCAA home-run leader Megan Grant three times.
—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
The fact that the highlight of Henri’s wartime experience seems to be the moment Petain arrives in Limoges for a parade, only to shun him during a meet-and-greet afterwards, reveals to what extent all his efforts were in vain.
—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for vain
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
12 June 2026
Third, there are things that can be done today to ensure that the tank man’s bravery is not in vain.
—
Olivia Enos,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2026
Three Knights pitchers tried in vain as the Bruins diced up the diamond even though UCF walked UCLA and NCAA home-run leader Megan Grant three times.
—
Liana Handler,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
The fact that the highlight of Henri’s wartime experience seems to be the moment Petain arrives in Limoges for a parade, only to shun him during a meet-and-greet afterwards, reveals to what extent all his efforts were in vain.
—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for vain
Recent Examples of Synonyms for vain
Adjective
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Historian Sandgruber describes how Alois Hitler wrote his 1895 letters in a deeply smug, anti-clerical manner that overestimated his abilities.
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Li at times plays Cola with a smug impetuousness that belies her naivety about this world to a satisfying degree.
Adjective
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Exciting and futile The Humans to Titan Summit was both exciting and futile, said Pascal Lee, chairman of the Mars Institute and a planetary scientist at the SETI Institute.
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All these plans acknowledge the experience gap, namely that training without arranging relevant work experience is often futile.
Adjective
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Still, Twain squandered his own fortune and Livy’s inheritance on developing Paige’s invention, even as the Mergenthaler Linotype became the industry standard, rendering Paige’s machine worthless.
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Bitcoin is either digital gold or worthless.
Adjective
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Swift will either ignore the noise as usual, or smile at the absurdity as a secure, proud childless cat lady.
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Looking back, Fox is proud to be part of such a perennial classic.
Adjective
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Her 36-year-old NFL star boyfriend was also coming off another season playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, which ended with an unsuccessful campaign for a third consecutive Super Bowl ring.
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However, the efforts were unsuccessful, according to the statement.
Adjective
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Rhaenyra’s first shock as queen is learning of her empty coffers.
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At least one tanker that has sat waiting empty for months near South Africa is already heading towards Hormuz.
Adjective
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West Germany, arrogant attitude adjusted, pounded Chile, 4-1.
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Lasso, in his initial introduction to audiences, wasn’t the warm, pun-loving, inspirational coach audiences would eventually embrace through Apple +, but a slightly arrogant buffoon parodying the average American sports fan.
Adjective
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At any rate, upon election my first official act would be to file legislation to do away with the useless job.
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An ultra-secure cloud environment is useless if the identity management policy is lax or if access privileges are not reviewed on a strict need-to-know basis.
Cite this Entry
“Vain.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/vain. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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